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"That's the power of intent and Facebook doesn't have that." Sure they do... Status Update from malandrew's mom: "OMG I can't wait to watch the new episode of

by pmorici 14y ago

"That's the power of intent and Facebook doesn't have that." Sure they do... Status Update from malandrew's mom: "OMG I can't wait to watch the new episode of The Good Wife tonight!" Facebook ads: "Click here to watch The latest Episode of the Good Wife" Facebook could has something better than Google intent in that they should be able to predict what you intend to search for before you go looking for it.

MartinCron 14y ago
Facebook could has something better than Google intent in that they should be able to predict what you intend to search for before you go looking for it. You could say that Google responds to your demand while Facebook (at least in potential) creates new demands.
- tlianza 14y ago
  If we're still going with the given example, Facebook didn't create anything except a forum where a mom posted a status update. There's no reason for an advertiser to pay to serve an ad for that. The ad was just given away for free. Unless you want to watch the show right at that moment, you wouldn't click it anyway. So, I'm missing the part where Facebook can monetize the "new demands."
  - MartinCron 14y ago
    I was going with the example of Facebook using their knowledge my tastes, as well as the tastes of millions of people who are somewhat like me, to introduce me to things that I would have a legitimate interest in, even if I'm not searching for them. Example: Subject is a coffee-drinking, Vespa-riding, snappy-dressing, backyard chicken-farming, photo-snapping, game-playing father of two small children. He's not looking for bluetooth cuff links, but we know that once he sees them, he'll be likely to buy because that's what other people in his micro-niche tend to buy.
molmalo 14y ago
Let me ask you something: When you want to search something, do you first go to your facebook account and tell your friends "hey, I want to learn more about x!" and then go to your favorite search engine, and actually do your search? I bet you don't. In your example, if the mom is saying "tonight", it probably means that she wants to see it "tonight" (maybe she doesn't have the time right now). so, they should try to make the ad really visible that very night, so the user (this mum) will see it before she even goes to look for it anywhere else. But that would feel very creepy. She would think "how did they knew I wanted that?". It would feel like if someone is spying her. I think the average people is ok to have ads displayed while searching (maybe they will not even notice that some "results" are ads). But when the ads start having a very direct relation to what people posts, they start to worry about their privacy. What I mean is... sure, facebook could infer the user intention, but in comparison, a search engine has it almost served.
- Drbble 14y ago
  Look up "retargeting". Creepily chasing people around the web is successful for advertisers.
  - AndyIngram 14y ago
    I think it may be more of a success for advertising companies in most circumstances.
  - notatoad 14y ago
    It is a successful tool for ad networks to provide because advertisers pay more for it, I've yet to be convinced that it actually increases conversions. If I keep seeing an ad over and over again, I just get annoyed.
    - tomkarlo 14y ago
      I've seen the number, it converts far, far better than average ads. On the order of 10X, for the campaigns I've seen. That's partially because clickthrough rates overall keep dropping, but still, they're really effective. Yes, it's annoying if you're in the 95% of customers who won't actually convert. But it only has to be effective about 1 out of 20 times to be a huge improvement (and that 1 might even be you, but you're mostly annoyed by the other 19 times.)
dannyr 14y ago
That intent is still vague. Maybe the user will watch on TV. You can't tell if the user is actually looking for a way to watch the show. If it's on Google though, the intent is much clearer.
Jare 14y ago
Most people on Facebook talk about what HAS happened, even if it's just happened on their minds. Their intent is already elsewhere. In your example, that person has mentally scheduled to watch it tonight. If she wanted to watch it earlier, she would be googling it right after posting that to FB. If FB decides to infer intent from posts right away (when the post's content could be relevant to intent) and adopt a role of 'online assistant' with automatic instant suggestions, that will be creepy and, considering the amount of colorful emotions often present in FB posts, is sure going to cause a few interesting situations. But that's a hugely different product from the Facebook and the ad industry as we know it.

by pmorici 14y ago

MartinCron 14y ago

Facebook could has something better than Google intent in that they should be able to predict what you intend to search for before you go looking for it. You could say that Google responds to your demand while Facebook (at least in potential) creates new demands.

tlianza 14y ago
If we're still going with the given example, Facebook didn't create anything except a forum where a mom posted a status update. There's no reason for an advertiser to pay to serve an ad for that. The ad was just given away for free. Unless you want to watch the show right at that moment, you wouldn't click it anyway. So, I'm missing the part where Facebook can monetize the "new demands."
- MartinCron 14y ago
  I was going with the example of Facebook using their knowledge my tastes, as well as the tastes of millions of people who are somewhat like me, to introduce me to things that I would have a legitimate interest in, even if I'm not searching for them. Example: Subject is a coffee-drinking, Vespa-riding, snappy-dressing, backyard chicken-farming, photo-snapping, game-playing father of two small children. He's not looking for bluetooth cuff links, but we know that once he sees them, he'll be likely to buy because that's what other people in his micro-niche tend to buy.

molmalo 14y ago

Let me ask you something: When you want to search something, do you first go to your facebook account and tell your friends "hey, I want to learn more about x!" and then go to your favorite search engine, and actually do your search? I bet you don't. In your example, if the mom is saying "tonight", it probably means that she wants to see it "tonight" (maybe she doesn't have the time right now). so, they should try to make the ad really visible that very night, so the user (this mum) will see it before she even goes to look for it anywhere else. But that would feel very creepy. She would think "how did they knew I wanted that?". It would feel like if someone is spying her. I think the average people is ok to have ads displayed while searching (maybe they will not even notice that some "results" are ads). But when the ads start having a very direct relation to what people posts, they start to worry about their privacy. What I mean is... sure, facebook could infer the user intention, but in comparison, a search engine has it almost served.

Drbble 14y ago
Look up "retargeting". Creepily chasing people around the web is successful for advertisers.
- AndyIngram 14y ago
  I think it may be more of a success for advertising companies in most circumstances.
- notatoad 14y ago
  It is a successful tool for ad networks to provide because advertisers pay more for it, I've yet to be convinced that it actually increases conversions. If I keep seeing an ad over and over again, I just get annoyed.
  - tomkarlo 14y ago
    I've seen the number, it converts far, far better than average ads. On the order of 10X, for the campaigns I've seen. That's partially because clickthrough rates overall keep dropping, but still, they're really effective. Yes, it's annoying if you're in the 95% of customers who won't actually convert. But it only has to be effective about 1 out of 20 times to be a huge improvement (and that 1 might even be you, but you're mostly annoyed by the other 19 times.)

dannyr 14y ago

That intent is still vague. Maybe the user will watch on TV. You can't tell if the user is actually looking for a way to watch the show. If it's on Google though, the intent is much clearer.

Jare 14y ago

Most people on Facebook talk about what HAS happened, even if it's just happened on their minds. Their intent is already elsewhere. In your example, that person has mentally scheduled to watch it tonight. If she wanted to watch it earlier, she would be googling it right after posting that to FB. If FB decides to infer intent from posts right away (when the post's content could be relevant to intent) and adopt a role of 'online assistant' with automatic instant suggestions, that will be creepy and, considering the amount of colorful emotions often present in FB posts, is sure going to cause a few interesting situations. But that's a hugely different product from the Facebook and the ad industry as we know it.